#Notes from the online jewelry archive

[morimementa]

Tiffany's Peacock brooch

Source: https://www.tiffany.com/high-jewelry/blue-book/peacock-jewelry/

[ofmdrecaps]

11/03-04/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Gizmo Darby; Taika Waititi; Samson Kayo; Samba Schutte; Kristian Nairn; Cast & Crew Getting out to Vote; Fan Spotlight; Calendar Fundraisers; OFMD Fluffvember; PA: In Person Event Reminder: Calypso's Birthday! Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika;

Hey lovelies, this is once again gonna be kinda weird because major events have happened since I started these drafts.. trying to keep things vague enough for archival purposes, but also respect that things have changed since the 3rd and 4th. Sending all the hugs and love your way.

= David Jenkins =

David and Kinga <3

Source: David's Instagram

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys shared a new trailer for 'That Christmas!'

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rhys Darby (@rhysiedarby)

Source: Rhys Instagram

Darby Daily Doodles on Substack!

Source: Rhys Darby's Substack

Part 7 of the Brooklyn show is up on Rhys' paid substack!

Source: Rhys Darby's Paid Substack

= Gizmo Darby =

Oh just Gizmo being THE MOST ADORABLE. He missed his Rhys.

Source: Rhys Instagram

= Taika Waititi =

Sounds like Taika is in talks to join David Williams family movie, Fing!

Source: Kidscreen.com

= Samson Kayo =

Samson being adorable.

Source: Samson's Instagram Stories

= Samba Schutte =

More of Samba's Stand up!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Samba Schutte (@sambaschutte)

= Kristian Nairn =

Kristian has designed some awesome jewelry! Check it out below!

Source: Kristian's Instagram

OH and in case you missed it- Kristian's got limited edition guitar picks and cool stuff up in his shop!

Source: Kristian's Instagram

= The Crew Got Out to Vote! =

A bunch of our cast & crew were out doing their civic duty! In order of appearance: Adam Stein- Writer, Lindsey Cantrell -Set Director, Christopher Corbin -"We Could Have Made Magic" Actor, and Vico! CW: Partial Vico Nudity!

Source: / Adam Steins Instagram / Lindsey Cantrell's Instagram / / Christopher Corbin's Instagram / Vico's Instagram

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Fundraiser Calendars =

= 2025 Gentlebeard Calendar =

A new 2025 Gentlebeard Calendar is available! Preorders are open from Nov 4-15! Check out this gorgeous work by some of your favorite artists, and make a positive impact as well! Check out @poorlyformed's Shop for more info!

Source: FidisArt Twitter

= All Fired Up =

Another awesome Charity Calendar Preorder is up as well! All Fired up Firefighter calendars are available for preorder over on Ko-Fi!

Source: Ko-fi / Orphaned Nebula's Twitter

== OFMD Fluffvember! ==

Perfect timing -- it's Fluffvember! I'm a little late with sharing this-- but there's some awesome fluff prompts going on over at ofmdfluffvember on twitter!

You can follow along on twitter or AO3!

Source: OFMD Fluffvember on Twitter

== PA: Calypso's Birthday ==

Reminder for all you PA folks! There's a Calypso's Birthday Event going on at Hardo's Haunt in Pittsburgh on Nov 9 at 6pm ET! More info on their instagram!

Source: Harold's Haunt Instagram

== Love Notes ==

It's weird sometimes writing love notes for past days. Today (the 6th) is so much different than the 3rd/4th and so I feel strange writing things when we all can change in a day. So tonight I'm going to mention something I'm seeing all week.... all the time even. I have watched you all from so many platforms this past week, and I continue to be in awe of you. I see people sending each other love notes from across the planet. I see artists who are drawing things JUST to help reduce people's anxiety and give them some distractions. I see people stepping out of their comfort zones and sharing WIPS because they want to make people smile in these hard times. No matter what happens in this world, you are the good in it.

Please remember to tell yourself that. So much kindness, to strangers, to moots, to acquaintances -- people you've met in person, to people you've never met but talk to online. You are the change this world needs. You are the kindness this world needs. They can't take that from you, only you have that power. You are strong, and you are brilliant, and kindness is your strength. Keep shining lovelies. You're doing all you can, and it makes such a huge difference in so many lives.

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Just these two being the goofy dudes they are. Gifs courtesy of our dear @celluloidbroomcloset and @meluli <3

[jalpari-spouts]

your hands in mine [mdzs fic]

Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi, Chen Qing Ling

Relationship: WangXian

Premise: Wei Wuxian has a very beautiful neighbor. Wei Wuxian has feelings for said neighbor. Oh, and Wei Wuxian also has a thing for the hands of a jewelry maker he found online.

Tags: Modern AU, Neighbors WangXian, Mutual Pining

Note: Beautiful art embedded in the fic!

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42498948

Preview:

Wei Wuxian rolled onto his stomach and propped his chin on the bed as he scrolled on his phone. He swung his legs back and forth as he eyed the beautiful creations on the Youmei app. The app was created by his old friend, Nie Huasang, and if Wei Wuxian were to be honest, it made complete sense given Nie Huasang’s love for art, handicrafts, and everything beautiful. Despite being a new app, it was already very popular and hosted sellers of all kinds who crafted all types of beautiful creations. Wei Wuxian paused his scrolling when he saw a picture of a hand adorned with many gorgeous floral rings. His eyes widened and he gasped softly on seeing the delicate and exquisite rings on each finger. Wei Wuxian clicked into the profile of the seller and sat up, excited, as he saw the gallery filled with similar photos of the person’s creations — dainty floral rings, charming bracelets, and chains draped over the hand from finger to wrist. “Kaihua,” Wei Wuxian said out loud when he clicked on the seller’s profile. “To bloom,” he whispered to himself with a smile. “That’s a pretty name.” The profile didn’t have a lot of information about the seller, just an email address — bichen@cloudrecesses.com — and a simple note that read ‘There is beauty in simplicity.’ But there was a very extensive and detailed description in the policy section which made Wei Wuxian laugh. “Someone’s thorough,” Wei Wuxian chuckled as he scrolled down the seemingly endless policy that covered everything from metrics for product satisfaction to categories for the return policy. Wei Wuxian went back to browsing through the product gallery, sighing at every creation. Each item was a hand accessory. He loved the way the jewelry adored the person’s hands, their long fingers, their elegant wrist, their shapely hand and the curve of their palm. In some photos, the nails were painted to complement the jewelry while in others they were bare, but always neatly trimmed. The designs were also very interesting. They weren’t too busy or complex. They didn’t have too many things going on all at once. Instead, they were just small flowers of all kinds, all recreated very accurately, Wei Wuxian noticed. The hand poses in each picture were beyond graceful. Wei Wuxian realized that he was admiring the hands almost as much as the jewelry, perhaps even more.

[sketchmre]

Costume/Fashion Reference Masterpost

because i need somewhere to put this and tumblr has a better layout for it

for anyone using this besides me, this will be updated over time

Last edited: May 14th, 2022

Note to self: at some point, add key words to each reference to find specific things through CTRL+F

The references (currently) are divided into these categories: Websites, museum websites, videos (and channels), copyrighted books, and books that are (legally) online and/or in the public domain.

I also want to give a huge thank you to the Fashion Historian for providing nearly all the MET text resources. I knew there was an art department, but I didn’t know it offered online PDFs as well. 

If you want to see the Fashion Historian’s blog, here is the link: http://www.thefashionhistorian.com/

If you want to find additional MET publications, here is the link: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications

WEBSITES

The Collection of Motion Picture Design

https://filmcostumecollection.com/

A private collection of film costumes, organized by decade (that they were created), collection type, and keywords. Primarily costumes from Hollywood(?). Includes hats, props, and jewelry as well.

NATIONALCLOTHING.ORG

http://nationalclothing.org/

A blog that delves into traditional/folk costume by country (and occasionally era, such as Ancient Greek and the like). Very good for finding additional sources!

The Dreamstress

https://thedreamstress.com/

A blog composed of many things, which can be seen in the sidebar.

Truly Victorian (Costume Patterns of the 1830′s to the 1900′s Specializing in the Bustle Era)

https://trulyvictorian.info/

TBA but note that the patterns in the shop offer cover art and actual patterns, if you want to buy them

VOGUE Runway

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows

TBA

Morgan Donner’s Pinterest Boards

https://www.pinterest.com/morgandonner/_saved/

TBA

FASHION HISTORY TIMELINE (STATE UNI OF NEW YORK)

https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/

TBA

MUSEUM WEBSITES

The Costume Institute | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/collection-areas/the-costume-institute

TBA

For some specific articles that I found interesting/plan on reading: https://sketchmre.tumblr.com/post/679175209483403264/met-articles

The Los Angeles Museum of Art

https://www.lacma.org/

https://collections.lacma.org/node/589000

TBA

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London

https://www.vam.ac.uk/

https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections?type=featured

TBA

The Fashion Institute in New York

https://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/collections;jsessionid=56988B2630FAF0FA0ACC733C6E943862

TBA

The Fashion Institute of Design Merchandizing Museum in Los Angeles

https://fidmmuseum.org/

TBA

The South Carolina State Museum

http://scmuseum.org/tag/fashion/

TBA

The National Museum of Antiquities in The Netherlands

https://www.rmo.nl/en/

TBA

The Bendingo Museum in Autralia

https://collection.bendigoartgallery.com.au/objects?query=fashion

TBA

The Meadows Museum

https://meadowsmuseumdallas.org/

TBA

Boston Museum of Fine Arts

https://www.mfa.org/collections

TBA

VIDEOS (AND CHANNELS)

Karolina Żebrowska

https://www.youtube.com/c/Karolina%C5%BBebrowskax

TBA

A Dress Historian Explains the Difference between Corsets and Stays

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8tRK3gn-NA

TBA

COPYRIGHTED BOOKS

Victorian Fashion: A Pictorial Archive, 965 Illustrations, by Carol Belanger Grafton (1999)

A collections of illustrations for the Victorian era, though specific dates are not given. There’s almost no text in this book; it’s a collection of illustrations and fashion examples, for those who prefer visual references. Personally give it 5/5 stars, for inspiration.

A Dictionary of Costume and Fashion, by Mary Brooks Pickens (1998)

A dictionary of terms used for fashion and costume. Has a few illustrations, but does not have one for every definition. Rather, it groups collections of words under an umbrella term (such as bows, jackets, shirts, etc). 

BOOKS ONLINE/IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN

History of Russian Costume from the Eleventh to the Twentieth Century, by  Alyoshina, T. S., I. I. Vishnevskaya, L. V. Efimova, T. T. Korshunova, V. A. Malm, E. Yu. Moiseenko, M. M. Postnokova-Loseva, and E. P. Chernukha (1977)

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/History_of_Russian_Costume_from_the_Eleventh_to_the_Twentieth_Century?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

TBA

The Imperial Style: Fashions of the Hapsburg Era, by Cone, Polly, ed. (1980)

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/The_Imperial_Style_Fashions_of_the_Hapsburg_Era?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

TBA

Man and the Horse: An Illustrated History of Equestrian Apparel, by Mackay-Smith, Alexander, Jean R. Druesedow, and Thomas Ryder (1984)

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/Man_and_the_Horse_an_illustrated_history_of_equestrian_apparel?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

TBA

Dance: A Very Social History, by Wallace, Carol McD., Don McDonagh, Jean L. Druesedow, Laurence Libin, and Constance Old (1986)

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/Dance_A_Very_Social_History?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

TBA but state that, as noted by the Fashion Historian, there is a chapter dedicated to dresses for dance (page 80)

From Queen to Empress: Victorian Dress, 1837–1877, by Goldthorpe, Caroline (1989)

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/From_Queen_to_Empress_Victorian_Dress_1837_1877?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

TBA

Heroic Armor of the Italian Renaissance: Filippo Negroli and his Contemporaries, by Pyhrr, Stuart W., and José-A. Godoy, with essays and a compilation of documents by Silvio Leydi (1998)

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/Heroic_Armor_of_the_Italian_Renaissance_Filippo_Negroli_and_his_Contemporaries?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

TBA

The Age of Napoleon: Costume from Revolution to Empire, 1789–1815, by Le Bourhis, Katell, ed., with essays by Charles Otto Zieseniss, Philippe Séguy, Clare Le Corbeiller, Pierre Arrizoli-Clémental, Jean Coural, Chantal Gastinel-Coural, Raoul Brunon, Colombe Samoyault-Verlet, and Michele Majer (1989)

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/The_Age_of_Napoleon_Costume_from_Revolution_to_Empire_1789_1815?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=&fmt=

TBA

[moldisgoodforyou]

on my mom's grave

wordcount: 3.7k

warnings: n/a

______

“How drunk do you think we’re going to get tonight?” Sophie asked, tipping back the last of a lemon White Claw as the two of them got ready for the night in her room.

“Dunno. I’m not really feeling it tonight.”

She paused, glancing back at him. “Do you not want to go?”

He shook his head and took the can from her, disappointed to realize there was nothing left. “No, no, it’s fine. I’m cool. Probably just won’t drink.”

“Is this about the phone call with your dad earlier?”

Rafe sighed, gritting his teeth. “It’s not - I’m fine, Soph.”

She crossed her arms and eyed him over, trying to get a read on his body language. “You’re sure.”

“I’m sure.” After Rafe tugged his shirt over his head, ready much faster than Sophie, he paced around the room for a few seconds before speaking up. "Hey, so...Sarah's getting presented at the annual deb ball in spring."

Sophie seemed unbothered, turning her back to him as she wrestled her way into a crop top to get ready for the night. "Those are still a thing? Cool, so you're going home for it?" She paused, glancing over at him in his polo. "Undo another button."

He did so, then rocked back on his heels with his hands in his pockets, trying to figure out what to say next.

She slowly turned back to him, realizing he was still tense across his shoulders. "What?"

Rafe rubbed the back of his neck, a tell-tale sign he was nervous and Sophie wasn't going to like what he was about to say. "Yeah...my dad wanted you to come home for it too."

"What? Ward? Why?"

"He, kinda, uh, wants you to be presented too?"

She just laughed, turning back to the mirror with her brow furrowed in slight concentration as she applied another coat of mascara. "Okay. Sure." But when he didn't elaborate, she turned back to him again, lips pursed. "Cameron. Tell me you told him no."

"...I didn't not not tell him no."

"Rafe."

He cracked under her stare. "I'm sorry, okay! Look, it's easy, all you have to do is throw on a pretty white dress and gloves -"

"A dress that costs thousands of dollars -"

"Hundreds, but - I'll cover you, obviously -"

"No." She turned back to the mirror, shaking her head. "Fuck no. I'm not going."

"Sophie." He nearly begged, stepping closer and running his hand through his hair. "Baby. C'mon."

"Don't call me that. No. I don’t fit into that part of your world.”

"Not even for me?" He pleaded, giving her a half-hearted grin. He ignored her last sentence, knowing any argument he had for her point would be dismissed in two seconds. "I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important, you know that."

She turned back to him with crossed arms, fixing him with a glare. "Do I know that?"

"Soph."

"Don't, Rafe." She warned, holding one hand out, but he stepped closer anyways.

"Angel. Please. For me." He forced a smile, tried cracking a joke. "I really don't want to have to call him up and get read the riot act."

She furrowed her brow and Rafe reached out and smoothed out the lines in between her eyebrows before he could stop himself, making her soften just a little. "If I were to say yes. What would I have to do?"

"Just wear the dress, attend a dinner, party the night before and party that night." He paused, thinking. "And stay at my house for the weekend. Be civil to my dad.” At her eyeroll, he fixed her with a more serious gaze. “Meet my grandparents. Hang with my sisters. C'mon, Wheezie adores you."

"You're lying."

"I'm not. She thinks you're cool. Sarah too, but she’s less likely to admit it." He kissed her forehead, hands going to her waist. "Please?"

"It's that important?"

"I swear. On my mom's grave."

Sophie frowned immediately, reaching up to fix his hair. "That's not necessary."

"You'll do it?"

"...Yes." When he made a small fist pump, she fixed him with a glare. "Only because I love you."

“I'll go down on you every night for the next two weeks -”

She rolled her eyes at his promise, shoving lightly at his chest. "You basically already do that anyways, Rafe -”

"Okay, fine, I'll tie you up, something, anything, god, thank you, Soph. You don't know how big of a favor this is. I mean it." He sighed in relief, the tension draining from his body.

She ignored him, turning back to the mirror to apply lip gloss, carefully smearing the wand across her lips. “Why does he want me to do this? I don’t understand.”

“Is that the sticky stuff? I hate that stuff, it gets all over me when we’re kissing -” He started, then quickly shut his mouth as she flipped him off without looking. “Uh, ‘to integrate you into our society.’ Direct quote.”

“Oh god.” She groaned, setting the lip gloss aside after applying it, then started searching through her jewelry case. “So I’m gonna have to be on my best kook behavior?”

He snorted. “Sophie Flint, a kook. Not likely.”

“Watch it.” She pointed a warning finger in his face. “You don’t see anything weird with this? Your dad hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you.”

“Rose does.”

“That’s not true either.”

Sophie raised her eyebrows, challenging him.

He shrugged, relenting with a sigh. “You’re not her favorite person, no, but neither am I.”

“You think this was more her idea? For Sarah to do it too?”

“Nah, actually, pretty sure it was my grandparents’ idea. Probably Granddad. My mom went through all this, so…”

She turned her back to him and gathered her hair, offering the clasp of her gold chain to him. “Your mom was a debutante?” She questioned with interest.

_______

Rafe rarely ever talked about his mom - Sophie had only found out how she died from a newspaper article in the online archives, and hadn’t wanted to bring it up since. All she knew was that Mrs. Cameron had passed away in a car accident when Rafe was fourteen.

Both Sophie and Rafe’s schools shared a building, despite them going to private academies, and overlapped for certain advanced placement classes. In freshman year, they were together for AP chemistry, with Sophie sitting proudly at the front of the class while Rafe sat in the back with a group of his friends, often cracking jokes at inappropriate times or throwing wads of paper at each other. Freshman year Sophie was the epitome of stuck-up - she resorted to insults instead of making friends and kept to herself, terrified someone might find out that she was on scholarship and wasn’t truly meant to be there.

The day after the car accident, Rafe was unusually quiet. Sophie hadn’t heard the news yet, it was barely second period and she wasn’t looped into the trail of gossip like the rest of the girls at Greenville. They were partnered for an experiment that day - Rafe had groaned when he heard Sophie’s name after his from the teacher, and Sophie barely suppressed a roll of her eyes. She took charge right away, getting all the supplies and set up their work station without even addressing him. After a few minutes, she slid the small glass of solution to Rafe, raising her eyebrows. “You can do the work too, you know.”

He was completely spaced out, only glancing up when she said something. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

Sophie rolled her eyes, lifting a beaker and extending it to him. “Yeah. I know. Just drop in 10 milliliters of the solution, it’s not hard.”

Rafe sighed as he rested his elbows on the edge of the table, rubbing his temples. “Look, can you just do it?”

She finally took note of the dark circles under his eyes, the way his shoulders were slumped, but misinterpreted it all. She smirked, taking on a taunting tone. “What, you’re still drunk from last night or something?”

He gritted his jaw, his entire body growing tense, and tugged at the collar of his polo. “Fuck off, Flint. Not in the mood today.”

She recoiled immediately, setting the beaker down with a little too much force. “Don’t be an asshole.”

“Don’t be a fucking bitch.” He spit back, standing abruptly. She winced as the stool squeaked across the floor, drawing everyone’s attention - as if they hadn’t had it already. Kelce stepped over and went to grab Rafe’s arm, possibly pull him away, but Rafe just wrenched his arm out of his grip. “I’m fine.” He growled, storming out of the classroom without looking back.

After a few moments of stunned silence, with Sophie on the verge of shocked tears, their teacher cleared her throat and redirected everyone’s attention, pointing one of the girls over to join Sophie instead. Molly made her way over, occupying Rafe’s seat in the space across from her. “Poor Rafe,” she murmured.

Sophie frowned, pulling her jacket tighter across her chest like a shield of armor. “Poor Rafe? What?”

Molly nodded, lowering her voice a little. “Yeah, you didn’t hear? I’m surprised he’s at school, honestly.”

“I didn’t...what happened?”

“Oh.” Molly frowned. “Um. You know that winding road, the one that goes downhill toward the ballet studio?”

Sophie didn’t, she didn’t even have a clue - the ballet studio was on the entire opposite side of the island from where she lived, the height of Figure 8, and she hadn’t ever had a reason to even venture that way. “Yeah? What does that have to do with Rafe?”

“Um, well, it was pouring last night, and his mom was driving down that road. I heard she lost control of the car and wrecked it. There was, like, a drunk driver that swerved into her lane, but she tried to avoid him and hit a tree.” Molly told her, careful on the details.

“I’m pretty sure the Camerons can replace a car.” Sophie replied, not wanting Molly to confirm where she thought she was going with the story. She dug her nails into the skin of her thigh anyways, feeling anxiety bubble up in her chest.

Molly shook her head, slowly. “Mrs. Cameron died, Sophie.”

Her heart dropped and she bit the inside of her cheek, hard. “Oh.”

“Yeah. I’m surprised you didn’t hear the sirens last night, I saw like eight police cars last night headed toward his house. I heard Sarah was in the car too, I think -”

“Is Sarah okay?” She couldn’t concentrate on anything but her ears ringing, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Oh, yeah, I think so. But god, how awful, right? The funeral is next weekend, Ward Cameron told my dad this morning. Is your family going?”

“Um...I don’t know.” Sophie glanced toward the door, hoping to god he would come back through the door and Molly would confess that it was all a joke, that she hadn’t just started something with Rafe on that day of all days.

________

Rafe nodded. “Yeah. ‘Course she was. I think she really enjoyed it, actually, she’d always tell Sarah when she was little about how pretty she would look in the dress, how important it was to learn the right etiquette and -” He cut himself off, realizing he was sharing too much, and deftly fastened the clasp before pressing a kiss to the top of her head, letting her step away. “All that.”

“Huh.”

He smiled to himself, thinking about how his mom would let little Sarah play dress up in her old ballgown with gloves that went up to her armpits, wobbling around in high heels twice the size of her feet. His mom would tell Rafe he’d have to watch out for Sarah with her escort, keep him in line, and that when he was in college he’d be presenting a girl as well. But he was nine and didn’t think of girls in that way quite yet, so he always scowled and left the room.

“It’s kind of cool, I think. The tradition of it all.”

“The ball? Have you been?” She caught his eye in the mirror as she adjusted her top, not wanting to push for too much information before he’d shut down altogether.

“No...I was gonna present Brooklyn at the one here in Columbus, sophomore year’s normally when the girl gets presented, but. Yeah. No, I meant, it’s kind of cool that you’ll be doing something my mom did.” He rubbed the back of his neck, meeting her gaze for a moment then looked away.

“Yeah?”

“She would have liked you. I know it.”

Sophie perked up a little, cocking her head. “You really mean it?”

“Yeah. She would have liked that you have an attitude with me.” He grinned when she turned back around and took his hand, tugging him over to sit on the bed next to her. “She was always saying I needed to find someone to match my energy, keep me in check. I wish she could have met you.”

“I did meet her. Once.”

He perked up, cocking his head. “You did?”

“Yeah, I served her when I was working at the restaurant at the country club once, I was only fourteen. I remember she made some comment about me being too young to work and I told her I liked it. Then she asked my name, and I remember she seemed like she knew already when I told her.” Sophie nodded. “She was really nice, left way too big of a tip and wrote my name on the bill. I always thought that was funny.”

Of course she knew, Rafe thought as he smiled to himself. She knew, because Rafe had come home and complained about a girl getting on his nerves every single week since seventh grade. She knew, when the complaints turned to “why won’t just be nice to me” and his mom had quipped that Sophie probably liked him - he had scoffed and walked away. She knew, because his mom had come home from the country club and told him Sophie Flint was a much nicer girl than Rafe painted her to be, and Rafe had immediately turned bright red and been embarrassed that his mom sought her out.

“I like that.” She leaned into him, taking his hand to play with his rings. “Will your grandparents be there? At the ball?”

“Oh, yeah. They sit on the board, I’m pretty sure, it’s this gigantic charity event. I’ll introduce you, but don’t worry, they’re chill. Nothing like my dad.” He adjusted himself so she was comfortable, then pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

She chewed on the inside of her lip, treading carefully. “I thought your dad grew up on the Cut.”

“He did. But my mom, no way. Kook through and through. That’s, uh, where a lot of my trust is from. After she died, um. She wanted to be sure me and Sarah were set.” He shrugged, ears turning red as he felt his throat getting tight.

Sophie frowned, feeling him closing off, and leaned closer to hug him, arms wrapped tight around his waist. “You know you can talk to me about this stuff whenever, Rafe? I’d like to hear more about your mom. She sounds like an amazing woman.”

“She was.” He nodded, settling his arms around her shoulders and rested his chin on the top of her head, closing his eyes for a moment. “Thanks, Soph. This is a really big deal to me, that you’ll go. I know it’s not your scene.”

“Love you.” She murmured. “You’d better buy me a pretty dress.”

He laughed, leaning back just enough to tip up her chin with one finger and kiss her. “You’ll be the best looking one there. I swear.”

“Oh, I already knew that.”

“Okay, okay, big head -”

She swatted his arm, laughing as she ducked out from under him. “Watch it, or I won’t go -”

“I was kidding!” He exclaimed, wrestling with her for a moment before grabbing both her hands and pinning them above her head.

Sophie sucked in a breath, caught off guard. “We are going to be late.”

“We’re already late.” He pointed out, taking a moment to realize the lack of innocence in the position, then slowly smirked. “We could be later. They’re not gonna miss us.”

“Rafe.”

“Sophie.”

“No.”

“You’re positive?”

She just gave him a look, staring him dead in the eyes and willing herself not to react when he leaned down with a grin and kissed the bridge of her nose.

“Please?”

“Fine. The ball or sex right now. You choose.” She raised her eyebrows, arching her back a little on purpose, pressing her hips up against his.

“That’s not fair.” He frowned, immediately shifting his hips away and moving so both his knees were on either side of her instead. “This is blackmail.”

“Your choice.” She reminded him, biting her lip for good measure.

He faltered, sitting back on her thighs and letting go of her wrists. “Soph, it’s - it’s for my mom. I swear. Not for my dad, Rose, anyone else.”

Sophie dropped the teasing act right away, propping herself up on her elbows. “Right, right, sorry. I won’t push it.”

“It’s alright.” He climbed off her, standing, and offered his hands. “Five bucks James makes some joke about us being late because we were having sex.”

“I’m not taking you up on that.” She rolled her eyes, accepting his hand and pulled him into a hug. “Love you long time, Cameron.”

He smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Love you too, favorite girl.”

“What do the dresses look like?”

“Uh...white?” Rafe shrugged, tugging on her hand to get her to follow him downstairs. “I dunno. When we go home for Thanksgiving I’ll book you an appointment to get fitted, I think it’s at some bridal shop on the mainland.”

“Sounds expensive.” She muttered, shaking her head.

“It’s…yeah. It’s not cheap.” He admitted, then shrugged as she followed him out the door, starting their walk toward the bars. “I’ll take care of it though. All of it. By the way, have you booked your flight home for Thanksgiving yet?”

“Um...no. I was going to look this week, it’s probably too late now though.”

“Hm.”

“Hm? Why, are you going home?”

Rafe nodded, not looking her in the eye. “Taking the plane.”

“Oh. Of course.”

“The plane...that no one else will be on...and it’s kinda ridiculous for you to waste money and carbon emissions on a separate flight…” He tried convincing her, a small smile playing on his lips as she rolled her eyes.

“You need to learn how carbon emissions work if you’re going to use that as an argument with me.”

“So that’s a no to sex on the plane?”

Sophie stopped in her tracks, confused. “That wasn’t - Rafe, what?”

“You, me, alone on the plane. Sorry, was I not clear enough?”

“I didn’t even say yes -”

“Oh, so you’re going to leave me all by myself on our one-year anniversary -”

She raised her eyebrows, challenging him. “When’s our anniversary, Rafe?”

He raised his back, stopping on the sidewalk to face her. “On my terms or yours? Because if we’re going with mine, it’s Halloween -”

“No, I had to ask you to be my boyfriend, it’s November 18th -”

“That is such an arbitrary thing, Sophie -”

“Hey! Stop stealing my vocabulary.” She interjected, pushing at his chest. “It’s the 18th, because I had to ask you out.”

“Okay. Whatever story makes you happy.” He shrugged, laughing when she shoved at him again. “Come on the plane with me.”

“...Fine. Only because I don’t want to miss our class reunion party on Wednesday night, I’m pretty sure some people still don’t believe we’re together.”

Rafe laughed loud at that, looping his arm around her shoulders and started walking again. “Pretty sure Topper still thinks it’s all an elaborate lie.”

“Does he know that we nearly hooked up in his room last winter break?”

“No.” He grinned. “Are you forgetting that you had to sprint into his bathroom right when I was about to kiss you because of some tequila thing you had?”

She tilted her head slightly. “You’re remembering wrong. That was sophomore year, before we were dating, I barely drank last year...you almost kissed me?”

“What? No, I think...remember, we were arguing over something, then you whispered in my ear to go up to his room and left. I went up a couple minutes later.” He shook his head. “I wasn’t going to make a move, Brooklyn and I were together then.”

Sophie scowled at the mention of Brooklyn. “I must have been hammered, I don’t remember any of this.”

“You wanted me.” He smirked, trailing his fingers along her collarbone. “One might say desperate.”

“No, no. All I remember is waking up in Topper’s bed feeling like shit, I had some crewneck on from your academy.” She ignored the blush creeping up her neck.

“How do you think you got there and got the sweatshirt?” He frowned. “I took care of you, Sophie. You really don’t remember?”

“I think I blacked out.” She confessed, shaking her head. “You took care of me?”

“Of course I did. Plus, I thought I was about to get some, I would have done anything for you.” He grinned, laughing when she shoved his shoulder. “Really thought that was the night I’d finally win you over.”

“Yeah, well, you can blame Sarah for her heavy pour that night.” She shook her head, smiling fondly. “I really wish I remembered that.”

“I wish you remembered too. Maybe you would have given me a chance before then instead of setting me up with Julia.”

“I - no! She asked to be set up with you, no, I did not instigate that at all.” She defended herself straightaway, cheeks flushing pink. “She said if I wasn’t going to make a move, then she was going to.”

“Sure. Whatever you believe.” He teased, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as they arrived at the bar. “Hey, Soph.”

She rolled her eyes, going to get in the winding line outside until he tugged her wrist back, pulling her to his chest. “What?”

“Thank you. I mean it.”

Sophie softened, smiling as she rose up on her toes to kiss him. “Of course, baby. I’ve got your back.”

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[ygo-is-gayer-than-i-remember]

Yugioctober Day 11: Fashion

(Prompt list)  (Read it here on Ao3!)

Summary: Shizuka designs Yugi, Atem, and Kaiba’s Met Gala looks.

I was inspired by @kaibacorpstocksplit and their art of Kaiba’s Met Gala look, so I decided to try my hand at writing about the flareship gang and their Gala outfits!  Special thanks to @suyas-archive for helping my fashion-blind ass figure out designs and how colors work kalsfslfjsdlk

When Shizuka entered high school, she picked up the hobby of designing clothes and outfits and found herself to be really good at it.  Of course, she could always be better, and she wanted to be.  Trying to find a mentor was how she learned that Mai was something of a designer herself.  They had become fast friends ever since the first Battle City, so when Mai heard about Shizuka’s new passion, she was more than happy to take the young girl under her wing.  The two had been training together ever since, even entering local competitions and gaining a small following online.

About a month after Shizuka had graduated, Pegasus announced that he would be hosting an event he called the Industrial Illusions Duel Monsters Gala.  To everyone else, it became known as the Duelist’s Ball.  Supposedly, it was to become a yearly event where all the big-name duelists from around the world would gather, mingle, and show off fashion based on their favorite duel monsters, all in the spirit of community and sportsmanship.

Katsuya was thrilled to have been invited to the Duelist’s Ball and immediately sought out Shizuka to make his Red-Eyes-Black-Dragon-themed outfit.  She had already seen the intricacy of some of the pieces others were planning on wearing from the designers she followed, so she was eager to give it a try.  Unfortunately, her brother rejected a lot of her more flashy ideas, wanting instead to be lame and boring with a simple black suit and red satin tailcoat.  She was happy with how it turned out, grateful she got to at least do some flame designs on the coattails and sleeves, but it wasn’t nearly the kind of extravagant look she had been hoping to make.

Apparently, Katsuya had been so thrilled with the suit that he showed it off to all of his friends, and a few days later, Shizuka got a call from Mokuba Kaiba.  She certainly hadn’t been expecting that considering she and Mokuba had never spoken one on one at length before.  He seemed friendly enough, much different from his stoic older brother, and was unsurprised to learn that the older Kaiba, along with Yugi and Atem, had all been invited to the Duelist’s Ball.  (Mokuba had volunteered to hold down the fort while the three of them were away.)  What she was surprised to learn was that the three of them wanted her to design their outfits as well.  She accepted the offer in a heartbeat.

After their initial meeting where ideas were pitched and measurements were taken, Shizuka knew this was exactly the challenge she had been wanting.  Each of their styles was unique, allowing her to really think outside the box and experiment with different designs.  Sometimes she had to nudge them in one direction or the other to make everything come together.  With Kaiba, she wanted him to try going for a little more.  With Atem, she needed him to go for a lot less.  Still, after several hours, she came away with sketches, notes, a Kaiba Corp. credit card, and the number of Kaiba’s personal tailor so she had every resource available to use.

The first thing she did was call Mai.  She knew she would need an extra set of hands already, and Mai had connections to jewelry makers who could help with the requested accessories.  Mai was over before Shizuka could even hang up the phone.

Day and night, the two of them worked on the garments, occasionally calling in one duelist or another to get some clarification or try on certain elements.  Sometimes, in the early stages, they would have to drag Katsuya in by the ear to act as a live mannequin when the rest were in use so they could make generic cuts, pins, or markings.  They had also been very careful not to let anyone but the outfit’s recipient see their completed work, wanting it to be a surprise for everyone.

Now, after months of hard labor, it was finally time to reveal the finished products.

All of their friends had gathered in the little studio she and Mai had rented out (on Kaiba’s dime, thank the gods), sitting on fold-out chairs in front of a makeshift stage and whispering excitedly to one another.  Even the Ishtars were there taking time out of their archaeological work with the museum to come.  Shizuka couldn’t remember ever feeling so many emotions at once.  She felt simultaneously like she wanted to hug everyone in sight and like she was about to throw up.

“Hey, hon, relax.”  She turned to see Mai put a hand on her shoulder and smile.  “We worked our asses off on these things and they turned out amazing.  They’re going to love them, I promise.”

Shizuka let out a sigh.  “Yeah, yeah you’re right.”  She grinned back at her mentor.  “It’s going to be great!”

Mai patted her on the back and pushed her gently forward.  “Knock ‘em dead!”

A hush fell over the crowd as Shizuka stepped up onto the stage.  The lights from overhead were nearly blinding.  She cleared her throat.

“Welcome everyone!  As you know, the Duelist’s Ball is coming up soon and Yugi, Atem, and Kaiba charged me with designing their red carpet looks.  Firstly, I want to thank Mai for her hard work on this project and for being a huge inspiration to me and helping me get to this point.”

Mai took a bow at the round of applause given to her by Shizuka and the audience.

“Tonight, we want to present to you the fruits of our labor!  You all get an exclusive look at the wardrobe of three top duelists before they’re presented formally at the Duelist’s Ball!”

This was met with whoops and more applause, especially from Katsuya.

Raising her voice and moving aside, Shizuka announced, “So, without further ado, may I present: Seto Kaiba as Blue-Eyes White Dragon!”

Kaiba entered from the back and stepped up on stage.

Over the shocked silence, Shizuka heard her brother yell, “Holy shit!”

Kaiba’s suit was divided into two sides, the left side midnight blue and speckled like the night sky, the right side, overlaying the first, a vivid white, tied together by silver buttons and loose, thin chains.  The white side had a single lapel wrapping around behind his neck to make a high collar that showed off its baby blue lining.  The dark side mimicked his usual turtleneck, covering to just below his chin and present on both arms since the white side didn’t have any sleeves of its own.  His left arm had three spikes, the same color as the rest of the fabric, sticking up from his bicep and a black and silver brace covering his forearm.  In contrast, the fabric on his right arm was overlaid with gleaming white steel, strips of blue glowing from between the breaks in each panel.

His pants were made of the same starry material, the boot on his left black and the boot on his right white.  Both had the same neon blue highlights as the metal on his arm with the addition of similar steel plates on his right knee and thigh.  From below the white belt keeping the metal on his leg in place, an open skirt pooled around him, the transparent fabric a sky blue filter over everything it covered.

Mokuba was grinning from ear to ear as he rushed up on stage to get a closer look at his big brother.  He circled around and around, taking in every detail.

“You look incredible, Seto!”

Kaiba gave a triumphant “hmph” and stepped down off the platform with Mokuba trailing behind him.  He had been smiling a little this whole time, something Shizuka took to mean she had done at least a decent job.

She glided back to center stage.  “Give him a hand, folks!”  Applause bounced off the walls of the studio.  “Alright, next up, we have your favorite King of Games!  Give it up for Yugi Muto as Gandora, the Dragon of Destruction!”

Yugi was barely out of the door before people were cheering.

Yugi’s shirt was based on an old European military jacket, wide rows of fabric crossing the center part and held in place by buttons on either side.  The black cloth was hemmed with silver, and the smooth red buttons gleamed like gemstones.  The points of red continued along his sleeves and down the outside of his pant legs until they cut off at his ankle, hanging slightly over his black and white wing-tip dress shoes.

Over all of this, a black satin cloak was draped over his shoulders and flowed down just past his knees with his arms slipped through strategically placed slits.  A geometric pattern of various diamonds and triangles was embroidered in silver thread, the occasional large shape housing another red accent.

Shizuka glanced over at Mokuba.  She had gotten a little extra help from him since this particular outfit had a very special feature.  He gave her a nod, and she passed the nod onto Yugi.

Yugi nodded back at her and pressed a button on the cuff of his right sleeve.  All at once, every piece of red decor lit up.  The audience oohed, ahhed, and clapped as he twirled around to show off all the lights before stepping down and switching places with Shizuka.

“One more round of applause for Yugi!  And a special thank you to Mokuba for helping out with the lights!”  The applause was given, and Shizuka smiled at the way Yugi and Kaiba stood hand in hand, admiring each other’s outfits.  “This last one was probably the most difficult to figure out.  Our model wanted not one, not two, but three monsters incorporated into his look, but we think it turned out to be fit for a king!”  A few chuckles in response.  “So, last, but most definitely not least, please welcome Pharaoh Atem as the three Egyptian Gods!”

Atem, the eternal personification of “too much,” came strutting out of the back like the god-king he was.  Shizuka could swear she heard jaws hit the floor.

Atem’s bare chest was clearly visible through the window of his scarlet shirt, shoulders decorated with swooping lines of gold and collar reaching straight up towards his jaw.  A black leather corset with a golden lily etched on the front hugged his waist, and a loose shawl of thin gold silk rested in the crooks of his elbows.

Below that, a shimmering skirt wrapped around his hips and fell down and back into a train, the same scarlet as his shirt melting into vivid crimson the further it trailed.  The fabric shone in the light and flowed like water under a gold chain overskirt decorated with large red gems and smaller blue gems.  It gave the skirt a kind of scaled appearance reminiscent of Osiris’s draconian form.

Through the long slit in the front of the skirts, his over-the-top thigh-high heeled boots wrestled for everyone’s attention.  The toe, heel, and laces were pure gold, but other than that, every inch of them was bedazzled with reds, blues, blacks, and more golds.  The boots had been a specific request from Atem that Shizuka had to rework several times in order for them to look palatable and cohesive with the rest of the outfit, but somehow, in some way, she had managed to pull it off.

To tie it all together, he wore a golden headdress that crowned his hairline, curled back to his temples, and arched into a pointed halo, resembling sunbeams in front of his multicolored hair.  His natural blonde highlights looked like gold thread behind the intricate designs of the headdress.  Rubies and lapis lazulis sat nestled in the centers of hand-crafted flowers and rings of metallic leaves.

Yugi and Kaiba walked slowly back on stage, taken aback by Atem’s glittering apparel.  Shizuka felt a surge of pride in her chest seeing the three of them all up there together gawking at each other.  She watched them exchange astounded praises, flirtatious remarks, and several kisses while those in attendance eagerly discussed the showcase.  Shizuka couldn’t actually hear what any of them were saying, but the smiles on their faces spoke for themselves.

“Congrats Shizuka!” Katsuya’s grin was the only thing she noticed before she was stumbling from him throwing an arm over her shoulder.  “Ya really knocked it outta the park!”

She beamed back at him when she got her footing.  “Thanks, Katsuya!  We worked really hard and I’m honestly super happy with how they turned out.”

“Yeah, uh, speakin’a which...d’ya think ya could make me one’a those?”

“You should’ve thought of that when you shot down all my ideas!”  Shizuka shoved him away with a laugh and a playful glare.

“How was I s’posed to know it’d turn out like that?!”

“Hey, Shizuka?”

She turned around to see her three models standing behind her, all smiling.  Yugi stepped forward to give her a hug she gladly accepted.

“I know I’ve said it a lot,” he said, “but seriously, thank you.  These are incredible.”

“Thank you for giving me the chance to make them,” she replied.  She stepped back to give Atem a hug, followed by a handshake from Kaiba.  “You guys better tell me what people think when you show up at the Duelist’s Ball.”

Atem bowed his head in a nod.  “Trust me, we will.”

Shizuka watched them turn to go change back into their regular clothes, then glanced at her drafting table in the corner where all the remaining sketches of the designs were pinned haphazardly.  The products of those sketches were going to be broadcast all over the world for everyone to see in just over a week, and when people asked, her friends would say she was responsible.  Her smile grew.  She had a feeling that a lot of doors were about to open for her.

[life-archive]

Backwards

A few more hours into 2023, and already ending the year on a sour note. Not in the best terms with the family and I am not anywhere near prepared for the board exams. I had started my online diary on instagram a year ago but my paranoia always tells me a friend would find me on there, so to keep it more personal (with more meaningful entries, typing from a computer) - I've decided to head back to tumblr. I had a personal online archive as well but thats well in the past. Looked back today so I could look forward. I feel as if I've been moving backwards ever since I graduated college. I had my dream body and I let that go - and I think that is one of the reasons why my life has gone on a downwards spiral. My body has always been my main insecurity. Now that the pandemic had made me gain weight, so much that I dont think my college friends would recognise me anymore. Two years (or three) of countless diets and starving and I keep going back to this weight. 2x than what I was in my heaviest. Because of this, I've hid away and stopped communicating with my friends. My life has revolved around work ever since the pandemic started. I dated a guy I thought I liked, but ended it for not only me but him. And at that point I felt good because I finally had figured out that I was more than a relationship - something I centered my college life around. But I have not had any action since then. I used to be wanted, I used to be in relationships, I used to feel confident. After the 2 out of 3 college relationships - I lost everything. or at least it felt like it. I lost my spark in my eyes, my body and my car lol. (for future reference, you got into a car accident from a little heavy drinking and almost got locked up). I dont want to jinx it but I dont think i put enough effort to pass the board exams, and that's going to add onto the list of why I think my life is going backwards. But at the same time I want to go forward with it - because what if i do pass? and if i fail, i can get back up and just do it again right? I mean I failed my thesis, and I got back up 10x stronger. I really am looking up for 2023. The past few new years I've just seen it as another day, but i am hopeful for this new year. 1. Passing the January 2023 Exam 2. Losing weight 3. Taking care of myself, and becoming the better version of my best self (which was me in college) 4. Trying out a pilates, cycling and golf class I realised that I keep mourning for my past and that I should let go to move forward, but I've been stuck just there. As I type this, I realise the only reason why I keep looking back is because that was me at my best. Best self care, best body and best positivity (confidence). The root of this is mainly just me fixing my habits - with eating, with exercising. I think once I get back to a state of being happy with my body again, I can build on the other aspects. I looked back at pictures and I used to not be so food-crazy. I used to actually use make up, jewelry, nice clothes and fix my hair. Something that I dont do anymore ever since the pandemic - which resulted to an overweight, acne filled, inflamed eczema and lonely/depressed self. I need to get back up this year, and Im counting on myself to get back up. Hope my next entry will be me as an architect, in a comfortable weight and without an inflamed body! The reason why I love online archives, is so I can look back at it and understand what my head was like. My instagram entries were so shallow, and its great knowing that i've grown from it and im capable of doing so. With paper, my hand hurts so its hard to express every single thing Im thinking about. I WILL look back at this entry a year from today and I KNOW I would be in the place I want to be. I can feel it, or at least im manifesting for this to happen. Here's to a great, optimistic year.

[trainingtitta]

Annandale facebook garagesale

ANNANDALE FACEBOOK GARAGESALE CRACKED

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We need to recognise the value of our Local Provenance vegetation which provides habitat and food for native animals, while also providing us much needed shade and cooling. The numerous creeks and buried tributaries need to be recognised as natural water ways not simply storm water drains. We need to do much more to enable our community to understand their natural environment. You will note that the digitisation programs of the State Archives, National Archives, Australian War Memorial, State Library, Local Libraries and the National Library play a vital part in providing material for the interpretation. Self Guided Walk from Annandale to Sydney with Historical Pictures Guide books and Guided Walks - See Annandale Short Walk Books at: įree Online Material - Anecdotal History of Annandale and Improved public access and connection to heritage through interpretation is also essential”įurther I put forward my work by way of example of how interpretation can be assisted through: Sympathetic adaptive re-use of heritage is an important way to conserve heritage signifcance. (if weather turns wet, we will retreat to the Hall)Īll Welcome, Young and Old alike!!! Marghanita da Cruz's submissions on the Greater Sydney Commission's plans Submission on Draft Eastern District Plan - ID: 31618 (15 December 2017)Īs an advocate for the protection of Annandale's natural and built heritage, I welcome this statement on local heritage in the Plans for the Eastern District: "A wide variety of local heritage items and heritage streetscapes also form part of the character of centres throughout the District.The conservation and interpretation of places and values of heritage signifcance is required to give current and future generations a beter understanding of history and people’s past experiences. Ted Grantham on the ivories (Ok plastics) Hosted by the Sunday School and Senior Hunters. Hunter Baillie Church Grounds, cnr Johnston and Collins Streets Annandale This Season begins with the Great Eel Spirit. Goray'murrai (warm and wet) November - December By Christmas the flowers are gone but the red sepals remain and have earnt the small tree its name Christmas Bush. The NSW Christmas Bush's white flowers bloom in October.

ANNANDALE FACEBOOK GARAGESALE FREE

Shop early? Feel free to send an to ask if we have what's on your thrill of the hunt wish list.NSW Christmas Bush (Ceratopetalum gummiferum) Shop early? Feel free to send an to ask if we have what's on your thrill of the hunt wish list.

ANNANDALE FACEBOOK GARAGESALE CRACKED

cream can, galvanized tubs, smudge pot, globe, cracked crocks, and too many more collectibles to list. MCM credenza, coffee table, record cabinet shabby bookshelf natural cedar posts walnut shelf board.Įuropean porcelain collectibles, painted 5 gal. Quality woven baskets, framed prints and oils. Showcase with costume jewelry, copper nuggets, cobalt blue with silver S&P's and salts, pens & pencils. Much to choose in kitchenware, small appliances, table linens, glassware, ceramics, knick-knacks, knitting/sewing notions, silver plate by the box lot, Tupperware, entertainment electronics, yard tools, step ladders, books, too many lamps, and desk supplies. Lots of goodies that will go better in your homes than ours, and remember "It's not a matter of need but want!"

ANNANDALE FACEBOOK GARAGESALE PLUS

The good news is our having time to unpack three households from the 1930's 'til now, plus more from Aunt Jane's 90+ years in Northern Virginia. Sorry we missed you in early May because of the rain washout.

[morimementa]

Tiffany's Owl on a Rock brooch

https://www.tiffany.com/high-jewelry/blue-book/owl-on-a-rock-jewelry/

[snehalaxel]

Ruby Earrings Market Size, Share, Industry Insights, Global Trends and COVID-19 Pandemic Presenting Future Opportunities 2027

"

This Ruby Earrings Market research report has a complete overview of the market, covering various aspects such as product definition, segmentation based on various parameters, and the prevailing vendor landscape. The market report consists of explicit and up-to-date information about the consumer. demands, their inclinations, and their variable likings about a particular product. The report not only saves valuable time but also adds credibility to the work that has been done to grow the business. In this winning Ruby Earrings Market business report, thorough investment analysis is offered which forecasts imminent opportunities for the market players and develops the strategies to grow return on investment (ROI).

The Ruby Earrings market research report highlights the key trends and the factors driving the industry as well as those hindering it. Moreover, it boasts of accurate data pertaining the future growth model of this domain by referencing the past and present business landscape. Further, the document offers a broader perspective by defining the size and shares of the market and its segments, unveiling the top revenue prospects in the process.

Download Sample PDF+ All Related Graphs & Charts @: https://axelreports.com/request-sample/93007

(Note: The sample of this report is updated with COVID-19 impact analysis before delivery)

By Market Players: TJC GLAMIRA Two Tone Jewelry GemsNY Bijan Ernest Jones Kimberley Diamond Stauer TraxNYC Artinian By Type Ruby & Diamond Earrings Ruby & Gold Earrings Ruby & Silver Earrings Others By Application Decoration Collection Others

A detailed outline of the Global Ruby Earrings Market includes a comprehensive analysis of different verticals of businesses. North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Europe have been considered for the studies on the basis of several terminologies.

Table of Content:

Market Overview: It includes six chapters, research scope, major manufacturers covered, market segments by type, Neutral and Extra Neutral Alcohol market segments by application, study objectives, and years considered.

Market Landscape: Here, the competition in the Worldwide Neutral and Extra Neutral Alcohol Market is analyzed, by price, revenue, sales, and market share by company, market rate, competitive situations Landscape, and latest trends, merger, expansion, acquisition, and market shares of top companies.

Profiles of Manufacturers: Here, leading players of the global Neutral and Extra Neutral Alcohol market are studied based on sales area, key products, gross margin, revenue, price, and production.

Market Status and Outlook by Region: In this section, the report discusses about gross margin, sales, revenue, production, market share, CAGR, and market size by region. Here, the global Neutral and Extra Neutral Alcohol Market is deeply analysed on the basis of regions and countries such as North America, Europe, China, India, Japan, and the MEA.

Application or End User: This section of the research study shows how different end-user/application segments contribute to the global Neutral and Extra Neutral Alcohol Market.

Market Forecast: Production Side: In this part of the report, the authors have focused on production and production value forecast, key producers forecast, and production and production value forecast by type.

Research Findings and Conclusion: This is one of the last sections of the report where the findings of the analysts and the conclusion of the research study are provided.

Key Questions Covered in the Report :

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"

[sciencespies]

Stunning blue beads found in Alaska predate Columbus, controversial study claims

https://sciencespies.com/humans/stunning-blue-beads-found-in-alaska-predate-columbus-controversial-study-claims/

Stunning blue beads found in Alaska predate Columbus, controversial study claims

Brilliantly blue beads from Europe unearthed by archaeologists in Arctic Alaska may predate Christopher Columbus‘ arrival in the New World, a new controversial study finds.

These blueberry-size beads were likely created in Venice during the 15th century and then traded eastward, enduring a 10,500-mile (17,000 kilometer) land-based journey east across Eurasia and then boated across the Bering Strait to what is now Alaska, according to the study, published online January 20 in the journal American Antiquity.

However, other archaeologists dispute the findings, saying while these beads are old, they’re not older than Columbus‘ 1492 voyage.

“These beads cannot be pre-Columbian, because Europeans weren’t making beads of this type that early,” said Elliot Blair, an assistant professor of anthropology at The University of Alabama, who was not involved in the study. 

Instead, these glass beads likely date to the late-16th or early-17th century, which in itself is a “really cool story,” Blair, who specializes in the dating and sourcing of early trade beads in the Americas, told Live Science. “Even with this later dating, an early 17th-century date for these beads is still much earlier than first documented contact between Alaska Natives and Europeans.”

Related: In photos: Evidence of a legendary massacre in Alaska 

Bright blue discovery

Vitus Bering, a Danish explorer serving in the Russian Navy, was thought to be the first modern European to make contact with Alaskan natives when he voyaged there in 1741.

But the discovery of the blue beads indicates that people in Asia, possibly those living in the Aboriginal hinterlands or eastern Russia, may have known about Alaska much earlier. 

An American archaeologist discovered the first of the blue glass beads in the 1960s, and since then a total of 10 have been unearthed at three Indigenous sites in Alaska’s Arctic.

(Beads: Lester Ross & Charles Adkins. Map: Boreal Imagery)

Archaeologists have also found other artifacts at these sites, including copper bracelets and bangles, and iron pendants, as well as organic material: twine, animal bones and charcoal, which the researchers dated with radiocarbon. 

The discovery of the twine, likely made from shrub willow bark, was key; it’s wrapped around part of a blue-beaded bangle, meaning it could provide a date range of when the bangle was made.

According to the radiocarbon-dating analysis, the twine likely dates to between 1397 and 1488, said study co-principal investigator Michael Kunz, an archaeologist with the University of Alaska Museum of the North in Fairbanks. 

“We were astounded because that was before Columbus had ever even discovered the New World, by several decades,” Kunz told Live Science.

After comparing the date ranges from the radiocarbon-dated artifacts – including the twine, two pieces of charcoal and four caribou bones – from the three sites, the researchers found that Indigenous people most likely used these beads between 1443 and 1488, but with potential dates spanning the 14th to 17th centuries. 

If the mid-15th-century date is correct, the beads would be the oldest known European products brought to the New World and the oldest record of “drawn” beads, a bead type previously dated to the 16th century, Kunz said. 

The team also had five of the beads examined with instrumental neutron activation analysis, a technique that bombards samples with radioactivity and then measures the radioactive decay through the gamma-rays that are emitted, which are unique to each element and can reveal the sample’s chemical makeup.

The results showed that “the Alaskan beads are made of soda glass, typical of fifteenth-century Venetian and later European manufacture,” the researchers wrote in the study. 

Perhaps, all of the blue beads came over in one shipment, so to speak, and were traded at a regional Indigenous trading center known as Sheshalik, by the mouth of the Noatak River and Bering Strait; after this initial trading interaction, the beads and their new owners likely dispersed across different parts of Alaska, Kunz said.

Related: Far Out: Ancient Egyptian jewelry came from space

“This research that we’ve done demonstrates that this type of beads – [known as] IIa40 early blue – existed long before they were thought to exist,” Kunz said.

“That’s the bottom line. We’re going against the grain. But we have good solid scientific evidence – radiocarbon dating, instrumental neutron activation analysis – that stands behind what we’re saying.”

Venetian glass?

Other archaeologists say the evidence doesn’t add up.

The study “highlights the role of Indigenous exchange networks” of goods from Europe, “but, I also think this paper is a cautionary tale in sensationalizing a story beyond what the evidence supports,” Blair said.

Historical and archaeological evidence of drawn beads “strongly indicates that they weren’t manufactured prior to about 1550 at the very earliest,” Blair said. “I think it would take very strong evidence to push this date any earlier. The data the authors present doesn’t do this, and in fact, the authors’ own data is consistent with an early 17th-century date for these beads.”

Blair is referring to the twine’s radiocarbon dating; although the analysis shows the twine was likely created in the 15th century, it also shows that an early 17th-century date, though less likely, is possible. 

In fact, a quick look at the study’s radiocarbon date ranges shows that Indigenous Alaskans could have used the beads from 1570 to 1650, a period that fits with production records of European drawn beads, Blair said. 

It’s not even clear if the beads are from Venice, as the researchers suggest. “It is quite likely that the beads originated in France and not Venice, based on findings at a bead manufacturing site in Rouen,” Karlis Karklins, an independent bead researcher and the editor of the Society of Bead Researchers, who was not involved in the study, told Live Science in an email. “Early blue beads (IIa40) containing numerous bubbles were found in bead-making wasters at a site in Rouen, France, which is attributed to the early-17th century. … I do not know of such beads ever having been recovered from archaeological contexts in or around Venice.”

There are chemical techniques that could ascertain whether the beads were made in Venice, Blair noted, and those could help solve the mystery of the beads’ origin. 

The researchers did agree on one thing, however – these beads are the oldest evidence on record of European products in Alaska. 

“How they got to distant Alaska from Western Europe in the latter part of the 16th or early-17th century is quite a mystery in itself,” Karklins said. “That really invites serious investigation.”

Related content:

Photos: Prehistoric village holds Bronze-Age treasures 

Images: Pirate tale revealed in Vatican archives 

Take a Look: A Venice canal…frozen 

This article was originally published by Live Science. Read the original article here.

#Humans

[meshugana1]

An author retains her ability to read after she's cursed, but why does every book, article, sign, form, everything around her sound so dirty?

“You lied to us bitch”. That was what the note that Andrea Martin had received in the mail. It was the latest one in a line of hate mail she was getting. She plopped her round ass into her office chair and sighed. She dropped the letter and placed her beautiful freckled face into her slender hands. Her slim chest rose and fell with calm breath and she let out a sigh. She had published her latest novel a little over a month ago to a very warm reception by her fanbase. It was the latest in a romance series, this one was meant to be the penultimate episode. But it was colossally overshadowed by what a nosy reporter managed to learn about her.

She wasn’t always the poster child for sickly sweet romances. She was once a budding twenty something woman doing her best to please people on the internet with smutty fetish stories. It was only nine years ago that she had started writing at all and the online fetish community was such a receptive and welcoming one that is was the perfect place to hone her skills and learn her craft. She eventually stopped and moved on to writing proper novels and now was one of the leaders in her field. But her smutty past was uncovered by a tabloid reporter and her fanbase was not taking it well.

She was a little concerned but her book sales seemed fine and her agent assured her it would blow over. She was working on the next book in her Temptations series when another letter fell through the slot in her door. She decided to take a break and open it. Hate mail or no she was only a few pages in and already having a nasty case of writers block and needed a mental break. It looked like another one for the hate mail stack, it was handwritten and looked like the kind of paper that was made to look like old parchment. She pulled a lock of her bright red hair away from her face and saw the handwritten words.

They said “You betrayed us you whore. Go back to where you belong.” In a strange sort of way the words seemed to reach out and grab at Andrea, penetrating her to her core. She shook off the feeling and decided to try and work a little more before calling it a day. When she returned to her computer she was both confused and angry. The words she had typed no more that twenty minutes ago were now changed. She had typed out “The countryside seemed to have taken on a hue of sadness in her five year long absence from her home. The trees lining her family property seemed to grow more colorful and vibrant in their autumn visage at Abigail’s return.”

Now it read “The countryside had take on a distinct scent of sex and aged cum during her sexual escapade from home. She was so sexually starved from abstaining for the three hour car ride home that even the trees lining the family property seemed to pulse and shine like the glorious black cocks that had become Abigail’s world these past five years.” What in the hell? Andrea thought that maybe this was a prank or that her situation was starting to get to her. She scrolled through her whole book and found it all to have been rewritten into some smutty porn story. It was well written but she wasn’t that kind of author any more. This violation had made her so upset that she just decided to go home.

It was around lunch time so the office didn’t have much foot traffic but Andrea was stopped by the receptionist Gale. “Oh Ms. Martin, I needed you to sign this get well card for David. He’s still out with the flu and we just wanted to let him know we’re all thinking of him.” The rotund woman said. “Sure thing, Gale.” Andrea said reaching for a pen. But she was stopped by Gale’s name tag that sat on her desk. It read ‘Gale Mathews : BBW Cockslut’, Andrea stared wide eyed and asked “Did you get a new name tag?” Gale looked and said “Nope, still says receptionist. They’re supposed to change it to office manager but they’re dragging their feet as usual.”

Andrea blinked for a moment but her eyes didn’t correct this mistake, they still saw BBW Cockslut! ‘I must be having a stress breakdown…’ Andrea thought. She did her best to shake it off and focus on the card, but that was a mistake. Everywhere she looked it was obscenity after obscenity! She saw “We miss fucking you dave!” and “Get off soon” and “ Our cocks and cum are with you!” and “We miss the office fuckboi” and “Get well soon, the boss misses his favorite cocksheath!” and more and more and more. Andrea was beyond blushing at this point and turned a shade of beet red. She hurriedly scratched out a “Hope to see you soon” and rushed out the door, refusing to make eye contact. Gale looked at what Ms. Martin had written and blushed a little bit herself, “Hope to get fucked by you soon?” she had no idea that Ms. Martin was so bold. But it was a little to risqué for the office so she erased it and just wrote ‘hope to see you soon’ in its place.

Things only got worse for Andrea as she exited onto the busy street. Initially she was fine but when she got to the crosswalk her mental breakdown surfaced again. She knew it was called ‘Tupington St.’ but she saw Fuckingaton St.! Andrea wasn’t sure just how much more she could blush and kept her head down as she walked around town. This pattern continued for the entire day. She saw an irish pub she used to like going to called ‘Patty’s Pub: Drinks and Grub’ now was called ‘Patty’s Public Fuckhole: Gloryholes and Easygirls’. A jewelry store was now named ‘Chrytals Classy Cuntpiercings’. At a newspaper stand her horror was compounded by the titles she saw, ‘Fuckoftheweek’, ‘Popular Positions’, ‘Scientific American Whore’, ‘Playboy’ wait that one was normal, that’s weird. Andrea had a feeling that if she cracked them open it wouldn’t be that much different.

She practically ran home to confirm this. She had fairly large home, being a well respected author, and had her own personal library. She dove in and checked he favorite book, ‘Moby-Dick’, first. She didn’t make it past the steamy scene were Ishmael gives Queequeg a slobbery blowjob in the second chapter. She looked through Jane Austen and found page after page of orgy after orgy. War of the Worlds had turned into a mass of writhing tentacle porn, Shakespeare’s comedies had turned into a collection of sissification and gender swap romances! Book after book had turned into a smutty erotic story. Weirdly though each story was different but still written with the original authors distinct style.

Andrea was reading these stories for hours and hours trying to see if any were normal. This couldn’t be a mental breakdown, who ever heard of this kind of thing happening from that. She attempted to search the internet but stopped after she saw the same effect there too. She was at her wits end when she came upon an idea. Going back to her computer she checked her archives, after a minute she found them. All her old erotic stories were still there, she opened one up and found it to be exactly as she remembered writing it. This gave her an idea, she opened a new word document and typed out “It was a loverly swing day and Sarah was going home to visit her mother.” She waited a moment but nothing seemed to happen, then she blinked. It had somehow instantly changed to “It was a loverly spring day and Sarah was finally going to confront her mother about the rampant sexual desire her daughter had for her.” Andrea actually felt a little twang in her loins at this, incest was a kink of hers (in mind only though).

She then typed “Sarah entered the door to her mothers bedroom and instantly dropped her pants and panties leaving herself nude from the waist down, ‘I’m sick of our coy game mother, now crawl over here and lick your daughters moist cunt.’ Her mother looked surprised but quickly followed her dominant mother commands and buried her face in her daughters crotch, tongue darting inside her looking for her hot button.” Andrea had a nasty habit of being turned on by her own writing and was typing with her right hand and eagerly rubbing herself through her pants with the left. She spent five minutes rubbing herself, edging closer and closer to orgasm and finally remembered to look. Nothing had changed, she continued to rub and type, removing her tight pants and fingering herself through her panties as she typed out the erotic scene of incest before her.

This continued on for hours and soon, Andrea had nearly half of her next book written. It seemed she found a cure for her writers block, and it didn’t look like she was going to be running out of inspiration anytime soon.

The End. Hope y’all like it!

[im-trash-bye]

Customer Service Jobs

Customer Service Jobs

Jobs that cover customer service can be found in the following:

* Audio Equipment Salesperson

* Automobile Salesperson

* Car Rental Agent

* Clothing Salesperson

* Computer Salesperson

* Retail Counter Clerk

* Retail Department Store Clerk

* Furniture Salesperson

* Hardware Store Clerk

* Jewelry Salesperson

* Retail Sales Associate

* Retail Sales Clerk

* Retail Salesperson

* Restaurant Servers

* Restaurant Hostesses

* Hotel Clerks

* Housekeeping Hairdressers

Virtually any business that offers a service is subject to Customer Service standards.

Job descriptions may entail:

* Greet customers and discuss type, quality and quantity of merchandise or services sought for purchase, rental or lease

* Seating guests, taking orders, making suggestions on orders

* Advise customers on use and care of merchandise, and provide advice concerning specialized products or services

* Estimate or quote prices, credit terms, trade-in allowances, warranties and delivery dates

* Prepare merchandise for purchase, rental or lease

* Prepare sales, rental or leasing contracts and accept cash, cheque, credit card or automatic debit payment

* Assist in display of merchandise

* Maintain sales records for inventory control

* Maintaining a clean and healthy environment

* Operate computerized inventory record keeping and re-ordering systems

* May conduct sales transactions through Internet-based electronic commerce.

There are many things you can do in order to ensure the best customer service possible. Knowing some of the basics of customer service is a good place to start.

Image from page 606 of “Hardware merchandising March-June 1915” (1915)

Image by Internet Archive Book Images Identifier: hardmerchmarjun1915toro Title: Hardware merchandising March-June 1915 Year: 1915 (1910s) Authors: Subjects: Hardware industry Hardware Implements, utensils, etc Building Publisher: Toronto : Contributing Library: Fisher – University of Toronto Digitizing Sponsor: Algoma University, Trent University, Lakehead University, Laurentian University, Nipissing University, Ryerson University and University of Toronto Libraries

View Book Page: Book Viewer About This Book: Catalog Entry View All Images: All Images From Book

Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image: THE HERBERT MORRIS CRANE& HOIST COMPANY, Limited, EMPRESS WORKS, peter street, TORONTO. Mower Files FOR Bumper Crops Signs point to bumper crops thisyear. Mowers will see more service.Knives will need more re-sharpen-mg. TIME will be a vital factor inthe harvest-season. By advising YOUR trade touse the Famous Five KEARNEY & FOOT GREAT WESTERN AMERICAN ARCADE GLOBE (Made in Canada) YOU do your share in mak-ing 1915 a record year ofFarm-P roduction andProfit. The Famous Five reflect 50 yearsexperience in making successfulhies. Theyre the limit of goodnessin Mower Files. And by using the Famous Five—and replacing each worn filepromptly—your farm-friends spendless time sharpening knives andhave more time to garner the goldenharvest. Be sure your stock is inshape for the Harvest rush.And do your share by show-ing your trade the RIGHTway to get the MOST fromthe Famous Five. NICHOLSON FILE CO. (Jobbers Everywhere) Port Hope Ontario May 15, 1915. HARDWARE AND METAL 15 jStanln/^oU

Text Appearing After Image: Stanley Forty-five Plane This tool has long been popular with Car-penters, Joiners, Cabinet Makers, PatternMakers and other artisans interested in wood-working of any description. Combining as it does SEVEN TOOLS ina compact and practical form, occasions itsuse on many a job. Display it with its cutters in your windowand see that your tool-using customers receiveour 12-page FORTY-FIVE bookletdescribing the tool in detail. A Profitable Tool for You to Carry. Stanley Rule & Level Co. New Britain, Conn. U.S.A. in HARDWARE AND METAL May 15, 191).

Note About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability – coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.

source https://news.talknewyorkcity.com/customer-service-jobs/

[mobilebuilder0]

Customer Service Jobs

Customer Service Jobs

Jobs that cover customer service can be found in the following:

* Audio Equipment Salesperson

* Automobile Salesperson

* Car Rental Agent

* Clothing Salesperson

* Computer Salesperson

* Retail Counter Clerk

* Retail Department Store Clerk

* Furniture Salesperson

* Hardware Store Clerk

* Jewelry Salesperson

* Retail Sales Associate

* Retail Sales Clerk

* Retail Salesperson

* Restaurant Servers

* Restaurant Hostesses

* Hotel Clerks

* Housekeeping Hairdressers

Virtually any business that offers a service is subject to Customer Service standards.

Job descriptions may entail:

* Greet customers and discuss type, quality and quantity of merchandise or services sought for purchase, rental or lease

* Seating guests, taking orders, making suggestions on orders

* Advise customers on use and care of merchandise, and provide advice concerning specialized products or services

* Estimate or quote prices, credit terms, trade-in allowances, warranties and delivery dates

* Prepare merchandise for purchase, rental or lease

* Prepare sales, rental or leasing contracts and accept cash, cheque, credit card or automatic debit payment

* Assist in display of merchandise

* Maintain sales records for inventory control

* Maintaining a clean and healthy environment

* Operate computerized inventory record keeping and re-ordering systems

* May conduct sales transactions through Internet-based electronic commerce.

There are many things you can do in order to ensure the best customer service possible. Knowing some of the basics of customer service is a good place to start.

Image from page 606 of “Hardware merchandising March-June 1915” (1915)

Image by Internet Archive Book Images Identifier: hardmerchmarjun1915toro Title: Hardware merchandising March-June 1915 Year: 1915 (1910s) Authors: Subjects: Hardware industry Hardware Implements, utensils, etc Building Publisher: Toronto : Contributing Library: Fisher – University of Toronto Digitizing Sponsor: Algoma University, Trent University, Lakehead University, Laurentian University, Nipissing University, Ryerson University and University of Toronto Libraries

View Book Page: Book Viewer About This Book: Catalog Entry View All Images: All Images From Book

Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image: THE HERBERT MORRIS CRANE& HOIST COMPANY, Limited, EMPRESS WORKS, peter street, TORONTO. Mower Files FOR Bumper Crops Signs point to bumper crops thisyear. Mowers will see more service.Knives will need more re-sharpen-mg. TIME will be a vital factor inthe harvest-season. By advising YOUR trade touse the Famous Five KEARNEY & FOOT GREAT WESTERN AMERICAN ARCADE GLOBE (Made in Canada) YOU do your share in mak-ing 1915 a record year ofFarm-P roduction andProfit. The Famous Five reflect 50 yearsexperience in making successfulhies. Theyre the limit of goodnessin Mower Files. And by using the Famous Five—and replacing each worn filepromptly—your farm-friends spendless time sharpening knives andhave more time to garner the goldenharvest. Be sure your stock is inshape for the Harvest rush.And do your share by show-ing your trade the RIGHTway to get the MOST fromthe Famous Five. NICHOLSON FILE CO. (Jobbers Everywhere) Port Hope Ontario May 15, 1915. HARDWARE AND METAL 15 jStanln/^oU

Text Appearing After Image: Stanley Forty-five Plane This tool has long been popular with Car-penters, Joiners, Cabinet Makers, PatternMakers and other artisans interested in wood-working of any description. Combining as it does SEVEN TOOLS ina compact and practical form, occasions itsuse on many a job. Display it with its cutters in your windowand see that your tool-using customers receiveour 12-page FORTY-FIVE bookletdescribing the tool in detail. A Profitable Tool for You to Carry. Stanley Rule & Level Co. New Britain, Conn. U.S.A. in HARDWARE AND METAL May 15, 191).

Note About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability – coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.

from https://news.talknewyorkcity.com/customer-service-jobs/

[themusesofmars]

Fanfiction Preview - Final Fantasy XV (work in progress)

@ignoctweek Ignoct Week Day 3, Prompt B: (Situational) Reincarnation/Time Travel AU Title: “Time Warp” (tentative) Rating: General (thus far) Warnings: N/A NOTE: This is just an excerpt of what is quickly turning into a novel-length fanfic. Up to this point in the story, all you need to know is Noct has wound up on Earth. He awakes in a hospital where his doctor is none other than Ignis Scientia. But Ignis doesn’t recognize him. And he doesn’t believe there is any such place as Eos, or that Noctis is a prince, or that the two of each other have ever met. The excerpt you are about to read is in rough draft format. I’m too tired to edit it and there’s no point right now because the story is incomplete. Follow The Muses of Mars on Tumblr, Archive of Our Own, or Fanfiction.net for updates!

They drove down unfamiliar streets, past unfamiliar buildings, and suddenly it began to rain. Ignis turned on the windshield-wipers and adjusted his glasses, slowing down as the road began to glisten.

“You can pull over if you need to. I don’t mind taking the wheel,” Noctis offered. “I know you hate driving in the dark, and now it’s raining, too.”

“You know no such thing,” Ignis snapped quietly. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white.

Noct watched him for a moment. He could tell Ignis was tense, and wasn’t sure if the reason had more to do with the darkness or with the fact that he’d known Ignis didn’t like it.

One thing he did know what that a little conversation always seemed to help calm him down. Ignis didn’t like having the stereo on after the sun went down because he needed to focus on the road. But if he just sat there rigidly with his guard up the whole time, he’d have a killer neck ache in the morning.

“So, how far are we going?” he asked, to get the ball rolling.

“The rain might slow us down, but I live about fifteen minutes or so from the hospital,” Ignis answered, already sounding less grumpy.

Noct helped keep a watch on the road, though he had begun to doubt daemons were even roaming this world. “I really appreciate you letting me crash at your place,” he said.

“Temporarily,” Ignis reminded him. “I’ll help you get back on your feet while we search for someone who might know you, but then we’ll have to say goodbye.”

Noct’s hands balled into fists. Damn it, Ignis! he mentally cursed. You do know me, better than anyone! Why don’t you remember?

Ignis softly sighed. “Don’t be frustrated. I’m sure you have family or friends somewhere in the city. The police have your photograph, but we can do some searching online—Facebook or something—and see if there’s anyone you recognize.”

“You really still don’t believe we know each other, do you?” Noct murmured disappointedly.

“I’m still quite certain we never met before you became my patient,” Ignis said sternly, “and I will ask you just once more to please stop pretending otherwise.” He suddenly put on the turn signal and a moment later pulled into a parking lot.

“Wh-what gives?” Noct demanded, sitting up straighter. Worriedly, he asked, “You’re not kicking me out, are you?”

“Don’t be absurd.” Ignis parked the car in an empty spot and cut the engine, then pulled his keys from the ignition. “You can’t just keep wearing my things; they don’t fit you at all. Plus you’re going to need your own toothbrush, a razor… And I’ve no idea what you like to eat, so I suppose we’ll need to stock up on groceries, as well.” He unfastened his seatbelt, opened the driver’s side door, and climbed out of the car. “Well? Are you coming?”

“R-right.” Noct hurriedly scrambled out of the car and Ignis locked it from a remote on his keyring. The vehicle made a beeping sound and then Ignis walked up to the front doors of a large building whose sign read: “Walmart.”

Noct looked around in confusion as Ignis procured a large shopping cart. “What is this place?” he asked as they walked past racks of clothing, an unexpected jewelry counter, and then a pharmacy. “It’s like they’ve got everything here.”

“Essentially,” Ignis agreed. He pushed the cart down an aisle in the health and beauty department and then stopped, perusing the selection of personal care wares. “Do you have any brand preferences, or are you still playing the ‘foreign royalty’ card?” Noct looked at him blankly. “All right, then. Leave it to me.” He sounded only mildly annoyed this time. “It’s probably faster if I do this myself, anyway.”

Noctis followed the other man blindly as Ignis selected a stick of deodorant; a shaving kit with a razor, blades, and shaving cream; and a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste. He left Noct to choose his own shampoo while he did his physician’s duty and went to find the boy an age-appropriate multivitamin.

Next they returned to the clothing department. “I got this, Specs,” the prince said nonchalantly. Ignis shrugged and had a seat on a bench outside the changing booths while the boy chose a few outfits and tried them on. He seemed drawn to graphic T-shirts, and while they were blessedly inexpensive, Ignis also dragged him toward a rack of flannel shirts and sweaters for something more suitable for winter. Noct found some jeans he liked and grabbed several pairs, then they found him a comfortable pair of tennis shoes and some nicer boots. Finally came socks and underwear. “Briefs?” Ignis sounded surprised. “I’m a boxer man, myself.” At last they were finished.

“Satisfied with these?” Ignis confirmed. “Then let’s pick up some food. I don’t mind cooking, but you’ll have to tell me what you like.”

“I like your cooking,” Noct commented. When Ignis glared at him suspiciously, he corrected himself to say, “I’m really not big on veggies, so…anything else is fine.”

Ignis muttered to himself about kids today and their unhealthy diets, and though such comments had warranted an eyeroll or two in the past, right now it made Noct smile to hear the other man complain about his eating habits like the good old days.

Eventually they headed for the registers to check out with their puchases. As Ignis plucked his wallet out of an inside pocket on his coat, Noct suddenly seemed awkward.

“Um, so, Ignis…” the boy began, then he had to stop and start again. “Uh, you know I don’t have any gil, right?”

“Any…what?” Ignis was giving him that look again, like he’d said something crazy.

“Don’t tell me you guys don’t have to worry about money here!”

“Oh. We use dollars and cents in America,” Ignis said, but his tone was more sarcastic than explanatory. “And I know perfectly well you haven’t got any money—gills, or whatever you called it. That’s my entire reason for taking you in for a time. I just couldn’t very well turn you out on the streets of Manhattan, could I?”

Noct still felt guilty. “I’ll find a way to pay you back,” he promised.

“Think nothing of it,” Ignis said dismissively, opening his wallet and selecting a credit card. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m a doctor; here, at least, physicians are rather well-paid.”

“Oh. Cool.” Noct still wasn’t sure, but after the items had been tallied up and bagged, the man didn’t even bulk at the price tag, so he must have been telling the truth.

Outside it was raining heavily. They raced to the car and Ignis unlocked the doors. They had to toss wet bags into the trunk, and then Ignis jogged back to the store with their shopping cart. When he returned, Noctis was sitting in the driver’s seat.

“We don’t have time to argue about this,” Noct said insistently. “Get in before you drown!”

With a frown, Ignis did as he was told. He finally handed Noct the keys and then strapped in. “I have a feeling I’m going to regret this,” he mumbled to himself. “I know you haven’t a license. You don’t have any ID!”

“I have a license,” Noct corrected. “It’s just…lost. With everything else.”

The prince started the car, then began backing out of the parking space. “Just try not to get pulled over,” Ignis warned. “If the police insist on arresting you, I’ll leave you in their care.”

“Don’t worry, Specs,” Noct said with a grin as he adjusted the mirrors. “You always let me drive at night.”

Ignis watched Noct as the boy expertly pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main highway again. It really did seem as though Noct knew him, somehow. But it made no sense, because things the boy knew…he’d never told anyone. He’d never thought about them, really. So how did he have such intimate knowledge?

He almost wondered if the boy knew where he lived, but he seemed so unfamiliar with even the most mundane things. And he certainly did know how to handle a vehicle during a nighttime storm. But it soon became apparently he had no idea where they were going, and Ignis had to direct him sharply before they missed his turn.

They passed by a low stone wall engraved with the name Honeysuckle Terrace and entered an affluent suburb where the houses were huge and their well-kept lawns were sprawling.

“That’s my house,” Ignis said, pointing. “Third one on the right.”

Noctis whistled. “Very nice, Iggy,” he said in awe. “You’ve done well for yourself.”

Ignis seemed a bit flustered by the compliment. “Well…it’s comfortable enough,” he said dismissively. “Just pull into the drive and I’ll open the garage.”

Noct slowed to a stop in front of the garage doors. Ignis leaned in close and reached toward the steering column. Noct gasped softly in surprise, turning to look at Ignis. The other man’s face was nearly touching his. “Pardon,” the blond muttered, fidgeting with the keys until he found the garage button on the keyring and pressed it. Noct’s eyes didn’t leave Ignis’s face until the other man had settled back in his seat and ordered him, “Eyes forward. Then pull on through—carefully.”

“…Right.” Noct did as he was told, surprised when he pulled the compact car in next to a black SUV. He shifted the gear to “park,” then cut the engine and turned off the lights. He slipped the keys out of the ignition and handed them to Ignis, their fingers touching for just an instant during the transfer. “Are you sure if it’s okay that I stay here for a while?” Noct asked, quietly folding his hands in his lap.

“Of course,” Ignis replied, taken aback. “Why ask, now that we’re here?”

Noct gave a slight nod in the direction of the other car. “Well, I didn’t think about it before, but…I’d hate to intrude on your family.”

“My what?” Now the man was genuinely startled. He turned his head to see what Noct was looking at. “Oh, you mean the other car?” He chuckled softly and unfastened his seatbelt. “They’re both mine.”

“Oh.” Noct was equally surprised, and not only a little relieved. “Oh! Well, okay, then.”

They climbed out of the car and gathered their shopping bags, then Noctis followed Ignis back out of the garage and along the sidewalk toward the front door. The walkway was lit up with garden lamps, and faux candles shone all the windows. The house was a single story but looked enormous from the outside. Noct was surprised that Ignis would live alone in such a big place, but it was a relief. He still thought this was the same Ignis he’d always known, and that something crazy had happened to them, but if he’d found a wife and children in the house…well, not only would it have been a hundred times more awkward staying here, but that would also have shattered his already thin hope that Igis would regain his memories of their life on Eos.

Noct shivered on the concrete porch while Ignis put his key into the lock on the front door. “Just a moment,” he said, and then he was turning the knob and pushing the door open, gesturing for Noct to enter the house first.

Nervously, Noct crossed over the threshold. Ignis followed to shut and lock the door behind them, then turned on the light.

Noct looked around curiously. They were standing on a stone tile entryway, beyond which lay a cozy, carpeted den with a large fireplace along the far wall. The kitchen was located straight ahead and hallways stretched to the left and right. Everything looked clean and polished—just as he would expect any space of Ignis’s to be.

“A hot bath would do you some good,” Ignis said, momentarily setting his armload of shopping bags down on the floor. He peeled his jacket back over his shoulders before hanging it up on a coatrack next to the door. “I’ll take that coat,” he offered, reaching out for the white lab coat he’d lent the boy from his office, “then if you’ll step out of those oversized shoes, I’ll show you where the bathroom is.”

Noct set down his bags and shrugged off the white coat, then gave it to Ignis, but didn’t even have to untie the shoes he was wearing to step out of them. He followed the other man down the hallway to the left. “Laundry room,” Ignis pointed out on the left, “and bathroom,” pushing wide a door to the right.

“What’s down there?” Noct asked, nodding his head to the last door at the end of the hallway.

“My bedroom.”

“Ah.” The answer gave rise to another question. “Where am I sleeping, anyway?”

“The guestroom.” Ignis reached around the wall and flipped on the bathroom light, revealing a large room done in chocolate and mocha with bronze and ivory accents. He handed Noct his bag of personal items. “I’ll prepare supper while you wash up. Take your time,” he added over his shoulder on his way back down the hall. “The towels are under the sink.”

“‘Kay.” Noct stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. The tiles were cool under his bare feet but the glow of the lamps on either side of the large over-the-counter mirror gave off a warm feeling, and suddenly nothing sounded better than immersing himself in a hot tub. How long had it been since he’d had a proper bath? He’d been in the hospital for, what, three weeks? This was going to feel amazing.

He found a large towel and a washcloth in a well-organized cabinet under the sink counter and carried them over to the bathtub, setting them down on the rim. Noct plugged the drain and turned the hot water tap on, then he stripped out of Ignis’s oversized clothing and unpacked his shopping bag.

The tub was large and heart-shaped, but the water was gushing with such force that it was more than halfway full when Noctis climbed inside. The heat of the water felt fantastic after being out in the cool night air in such loose clothing. He sank into it like he was melting, leaning back against the reclining wall and closing his eyes. He felt cleaner already, and the steam was doing marvels to clear his head of confusion and distress.

He was on Earth, not Eos. Conventions were much the same, yet there were no daemons here. People went driving and even shopping at night, fearlessly. The world seemed safer, yet he took no comfort in that assumption; having been born and raised in an era where day-to-day living became more perilous with each passing hour, he could not help but feel suspicious of this world. What darkness was it hiding?

The water was beginning to lap at the rim of the tub. Noct felt it rising above his shoulders and forced himself to sit up and turn the tap off. He was still bruised from his accident and his ribs ached to lean forward, but he reclined again a moment later and let the water soothe his aches. With his arms stretched out to the sides and his whole body relaxed, he felt almost comfortable enough to fall asleep. His head hadn’t ached in days, so that was a good sign. It might take a while longer, but the rest of him would heal, too.

But what then? What had brought him here, and how? When could he go home? What if he couldn’t?

Those were mysteries he would have to solve in time. For now he was only certain that in spite of the blow to his head, he had not dreamed his life up to this point, and he wasn’t crazy. He was Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, born and raised in the Crown City of Insomnia on the planet Eos. But who was the man in the kitchen?

[rdaccountingtoart-blog]

Art of the Indus Valley & Burma

Art in the Indus Valley

The History

The Indus Valley civilization is known to be one of the oldest civilization. As per archeology online “this civilization emerged in the second half of Bronze Age” covering a period between 3330 to 1300 BCE (Narasimhan, 2016). This civilization expanded mostly over the North West part of India, some parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Some of the prominent sites along the Indus River with finding of this civilization were Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. In the article History of the Harappan culture the author mentions that most of the findings of this civilization was architecture, sculpture, ancient pottery, seal carvings and jewelry. Most of the findings show the intricate designs during this era. One of the items that is important to note is the use of paint. Very little finding exist if paint was used during that era instead a lot of the sculptures found were covered in Brass and gold.

Art from the Indus Valley

Bearded Man

One of the more popular pieces discovered in Mohenjo- Daro is a structure called the “Bearded man” or the Priest King. This piece is made with white, low fired steatite this piece is believed to use for the worship based on the shawl that it’s wrapped in. The structure also has a defined beard and mustache. The shawl has a pattern through the front and back. There is believed to be a head ornament or jewelry with ornament that maybe missed.

The Dancing Girl:

One of the few Bronze structures that was discovered in the Indus Valley was the dancing girl. This structure represents a naked women who stands tall with her hands on the hip. The girl has intricate details such as bangles and a necklace.

Burmese Art

There are a lot of different type of civilization and art cultures in Asia including Burmese art. Burmese art originates from Burma a country that neighbors India. Hence, Burmese art has a lot Indian influence to it. Burmese art is known for its abundant depictions of the Buddha. Burmese art consists of sculpture, temples and Montessori. This art developed during the 14th and 16th century. A popular subset of this type culture is Shan Art; art that specially used to portray Buddha poses in a seated position. Most commonly used material during the start of this period was Bronze which was later replaced by wood and paint. Burmese art faced a lot of bans in its century due to political influence.

 Art in Burma

Crowed Buddha

This piece below made with Bronze sits in the Art institute of Chicago. It’s a seated jeweled Buddha on an elephant throne. This was some of the earlier work that was made with Bronze as later in the century materials such as wood and laquer were used.

References  

Ka, T. (n.d.). The Early Art of Burma.  Retrieved from The Atlantic:  https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1958/02/the-early-art-of-burma/306824/

Narasimhan, S. (2016). Sculptures of Indus Valley.  Retrieved from https://brewminate.com/sculptures-of-the-indus-valley/

Unkown. (n.d.). Indus Valley Civilization.  Retrieved from Crystal Links:  http://www.crystalinks.com/induscivilization.html